Why make citations?

Why and How

-to prove that we haven't just made stuff up (like facts or statistics)

-to prove our opinions or ideas are awesome (who will disagree with you if your information is published by NASA?)

-to give credit to the authors you may have borrowed ideas or words from

-to PROTECT yourself!

-to help readers who want to know more find your sources

It's also just what people in schools and universities do to show they are using information ethically. When you get your driver's license, you will follow the rules, right? You will agree not to run a red light. Well, when you are a student, this is just what you do. It's part of the rules.